The Art of Subediting: A UK Guide to Headlines, House Style & Fact-Checking

The Role of Subs in UK Newsrooms

Sub-editors (or “subs”) are the last line of defence between a journalist's copy and the reader. Their responsibilities typically include:

• Checking copy for accuracy, spelling, grammar, and house style compliance
• Writing headlines, standfirsts (the introductory summary below the headline), and picture captions
• Cutting or expanding copy to fit the available space (print) or optimal length (digital)
• Flagging potential legal issues — defamation, contempt of court, privacy — before publication
• Ensuring the piece is fair, balanced, and compliant with the IPSO Editors' Code
• Laying out pages (in print) or formatting for CMS platforms (digital)

The sub's role has contracted in many UK newsrooms as cost-cutting has taken hold. Several regional publishers have centralised subbing operations, and some digital-only outlets have dispensed with dedicated subs altogether. This makes the skill more valuable, not less — mistakes that would once have been caught by a sub now make it into print and online, with costly consequences.

Headline Writing: The Art in 50 Characters

A good headline tells the reader what the story is about, makes them want to read it, and fits the available space. In UK print journalism, headlines are tightly constrained by column width and type size; online, they need to work for both human readers and search engines.

• Be specific: “Council tax to rise 5% in Birmingham” beats “Tax rise announced.”
• Use active verbs: “PM scraps green levy” is stronger than “Green levy scrapped by PM.”
• Avoid headlinese: Words like “bid,” “probe,” and “axe” were once staples of tabloid headlines. Modern style favours plainer language.
• Consider SEO: For digital headlines, include key search terms naturally. “NHS waiting times hit record high in 2026” will perform better than a clever pun.
• Accuracy is paramount: A misleading headline can trigger an IPSO complaint even if the body of the article is accurate. Clause 1 of the Editors' Code applies to headlines as much as to body copy.

Standfirsts and Sell Lines

The standfirst is the brief summary that appears between the headline and the body of a feature or long-form news piece. In print, it is typically set in a larger or bolder typeface than the body text. Online, it often appears as the meta description and the text beneath the headline on social media cards.

• Keep standfirsts to 20–40 words
• Summarise the story without duplicating the headline
• Include a detail or angle that the headline could not accommodate
• End on a hook that draws the reader into the article

Caption Writing

Captions are among the most-read elements of any page, yet they are often written as an afterthought. Good caption writing follows these principles:

• Identify people: Always name the people in the photograph, typically left to right, and give their role or relevance to the story.
• Add context: Tell the reader something the photograph alone does not. “Councillor Ahmed inspects flood damage on Willow Lane, Carlisle, yesterday” is better than “Flood damage.”
• Present tense: Captions conventionally describe what is happening in the photograph in the present tense: “Firefighters tackle the blaze” rather than “Firefighters tackled the blaze.”
• Credit the photographer: Always include a credit unless the image is from a wire service whose credit line appears separately. Copyright obligations apply.

House Style: Guardian vs Times and Beyond

House style is the set of rules governing spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, and usage that gives a publication its consistent voice. Every sub must know their publication's style guide inside out. Here are some notable differences between two of the UK's major broadsheets:

• Honorifics: The Times uses Mr, Mrs, Miss, and Ms after first mention. The Guardian dropped honorifics entirely in 2005.
• Quotation marks: The Times uses double quotes for direct speech; the Guardian uses single quotes (with double quotes for quotes within quotes).
• Capitalisation: The Times capitalises Government, Cabinet, and Parliament when referring to the UK's. The Guardian uses lowercase for government and cabinet but capitalises Parliament.
• Oxford comma: Neither routinely uses it, but both permit it where a sentence would otherwise be ambiguous.
• Numbers: Both spell out one to nine and use figures for 10+, but there are exceptions for ages, percentages, and scores.

The Fact-Checking Workflow

Fact-checking is central to the sub's role. A systematic approach is essential, particularly under deadline pressure:

1. Names and titles: Check the spelling of every proper noun. Use Companies House, LinkedIn, and official websites rather than relying on memory.
2. Dates and figures: Cross-reference every date, statistic, and numerical claim against the original source. Is “last year” 2025 or 2024? Is “doubled” actually accurate, or did it increase by 80%?
3. Quotes: If a quote sounds too good to be true, check with the reporter. Ensure quotes are in context and have not been selectively edited to change their meaning.
4. Geography: Is the town in the right county? Is the postcode correct? Small errors undermine reader trust and can lead to IPSO complaints.
5. Sources: Are the sources credible? Is the story over-reliant on a single source? Could it be a PR plant?

Legal Reads: The Sub's Safety Net

A “legal read” is the process of reviewing copy for potential legal risks before publication. At major UK outlets, in-house or retained lawyers handle this, but at smaller publications the responsibility often falls on senior subs. Key things to look for include:

• Defamation: Does the piece make a factual assertion about an identifiable person that could damage their reputation? Can it be proved true or defended under a recognised defence? See our defamation guide.
• Contempt of court: Is there an active case that the story could prejudice? Are reporting restrictions in force? Check the contempt of court rules.
• Privacy: Does the piece identify a private individual in a way that could breach their reasonable expectation of privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights?
• Children: Are any children identified or identifiable in the context of family court proceedings, youth court cases, or sex offence trials?
• Copyright: Has the piece reproduced substantial portions of a copyright work without a valid defence?

Digital Subbing: New Challenges

The shift to digital-first publishing has transformed the sub's role in several ways:

• Speed vs accuracy: Online stories are often published within minutes of being written. The temptation to skip a thorough sub is strong, but the reputational cost of errors is amplified by social media.
• SEO and metadata: Subs now write meta titles, meta descriptions, and social media headlines in addition to the main headline. Each serves a different function and has different length constraints. Our best free tools guide covers SEO tools.
• Updates and corrections: Digital stories can be updated after publication. Subs must manage version control, ensuring corrections are transparent and timestamped.
• Multimedia integration: Subs increasingly work with video, audio, interactive graphics, and embedded social media posts. Each element needs its own accuracy check and legal review.

Becoming a Sub: Skills and Training

The NCTJ offers a subediting certificate, and many journalism courses include subbing modules. Essential skills include:

• Impeccable grammar, spelling, and punctuation
• An eye for detail and an instinct for inconsistency
• Strong knowledge of media law and ethics codes
• Proficiency with CMS platforms (WordPress, Arc, Chorus, etc.)
• The ability to work accurately under extreme deadline pressure
• Experience with at least one major UK style guide

Practical Checklist

Run through these before sending a piece live:

• Check every proper noun against an authoritative source, not memory
• Confirm the headline is accurate and not just attention-grabbing
• Cross-reference every statistic and date against the original source
• Run a legal read for defamation, contempt, and privacy risk
• Verify photo and image credits before publication
• Confirm the piece matches house style for honorifics, quotes, and capitalisation
• Write meta title and meta description separately from the on-page headline
• Timestamp any post-publication update or correction transparently

Common Mistakes

• Trusting a press release's spelling of names: Always verify against Companies House, LinkedIn, or an official website.
• Writing a headline that oversells the story: Even if the body copy is accurate, a misleading headline can trigger an IPSO Clause 1 complaint on its own.
• Skipping the legal read under deadline pressure: This is precisely when errors are most likely to slip through into print or online.
• Stealth-editing after publication: Corrections must be transparent and timestamped, not silently applied.
• Ignoring house style inconsistencies from freelancers: A quick style pass prevents jarring inconsistencies across a single edition or page.

Red Flags to Watch For

• A story relying on a single, unverified source with no corroborating document or witness
• A headline that asserts guilt or wrongdoing not supported by the body copy
• Photographs that could prejudice a live court case if published before verdict
• Copy referencing a named child in the context of family court, youth court, or a sex offence case
• Substantial post-publication changes made without a visible correction note

Further Resources

• News vs Feature Writing — Structure and style differences
• UK Journalism Ethics Codes — IPSO and NUJ guidance
• Defamation Law for UK Journalists — Essential legal knowledge for subs
• Resources Library — Templates and quick-reference guides